


Divergence of a Plan

by lonely_no_more



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Mikaannie week, Slow Burn, like really slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 12:01:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7314430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonely_no_more/pseuds/lonely_no_more
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The plan was to capture the Coordinate. But when she's impeded by Mikasa, her plan changes: lure the Coordinate by holding his sister hostage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Divergence of a Plan

Days had passed and Mikasa could begin to feel her body protesting. She refused to eat and she only took in water as needed. The shackles on her wrists would have chafed painfully if it weren't for the leather strips that had been wrapped there first. It made her wonder, honestly, as she sat up on the bed.  _ Why take such good care of such a lethal threat? _ It didn't make a lot of sense. When the door opened, Mikasa turned her head and looked out the window. While it was normally a silent affair, her captor spoke. "If you go any longer without food, you'll die." Annie set the bowl of stew on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed. "I will force you to eat if you won't feed yourself."   
  
That gave the Asian girl pause. Her eyes turned from the window to the titan shifter. "Why are you keeping me alive?"   
  
"We need Eren to cooperate with us. If you're dead, he won't do it," Annie said automatically. When Mikasa did not react, the older female grabbed the bowl and asked, "Are you going to try and toss this at me again?"   
  
"How would you be able to tell I wasn't lying if I say no?"   
  
"I wouldn't be able to tell." Annie blinked slowly. "But I know you want to survive for your brother."   
  
Mikasa growled, "How do you know what I want?"    
  
"Because, Mikasa, your family matters to you. Eren- and Armin too- are all the family you've got left." When she saw the way Mikasa winced, Annie realized that had come out much colder than she had intended. Then, brushing a hand through her own hair, Annie asked, "So, will you eat?"   
  
Mikasa gave no response, save for nodding at the bowl of stew. When Annie had placed it in her hands, Mikasa murmured, "Thank you." And without another word, Mikasa brought it to her lips and ate; she closed her eyes, savoring the way the hot food burned her tongue and throat. She didn't lower it and instead only paused to breathe through her nose before swallowing the last of the stew.    
  
"Do you need more?" Annie raised an eyebrow in vague amusement to see the Asian soldier panting quietly and staring a little absently at the bowl in her lap. She tried again, raising her voice a little, "Mikasa, do you need more?" The bowl was handed back and a small nod was the response. Annie felt her own lips twitch, knowing that a smile threatened to break. It was heartening to see Mikasa eating again after being so sick recently.   
  
When Annie left the room, Mikasa looked out the window again and noticed that there were people out in the fields of wheat. They looked like average people. Just like anyone else who lived within the walls. She noticed children run by, screeching with laughter and being chased by their mothers. It was all so ordinary. So  _ normal _ . She jumped slightly when the door opened again and Annie came in with another bowl of stew and a slice of bread. Her mouth watered at the sight and Mikasa looked up at the older girl gratefully. As soon as the bowl was in her hands, the top graduate ate heartily, taking in the nourishment.    
  
Annie said, “You know, I had originally intended on capturing Eren.” She noticed Mikasa pause and lower the bowl from her mouth. “But you were always in the way. So I figured it would be best to just take you and wait for Eren to follow. After all, he still thinks of you as his sister, right?”   
  
“I would suppose so. His family took me in.” She blinked and looked at the worn, red scarf as it lay neatly folded at the end of the bed. “He was the first to welcome me, actually.” Mikasa shook her head to clear the emotional memories and raised the bowl to finish her meal. She made quick work of the bread and eventually leaned back on the pillows. “I still don’t get it, really. All of you are so normal.”   
  
“Because we are normal. We’re humans too. But we had the identities of monsters thrust upon us,” Annie explained. She stood, grabbing the bowl. “I need to run some errands tomorrow. If you can promise not to run, I’ll let you come with me and get some fresh air.”   
  
Mikasa thought about this. When Annie had captured her, she was unconscious and unable to take in the route that the titan had used. Not only that, Mikasa no longer had her Omni-directional maneuver gear. It had been smashed to bits and probably left far behind. “I won’t try to run. It would be stupid of me to attempt it.”   
  
Annie nodded. “Good. Glad you understand.” She paused again, at the door, before looking back at Mikasa and murmuring, “Sleep well.”   
  
[X]   
  
Extraordinarily, Mikasa felt well-rested the following morning. She didn’t rouse until she heard the sound of knocking on the door before Annie entered. The older girl’s hair was not in its usual bun; more miraculously, Annie was not yet in a hooded shirt and was wearing a tight-fitting tanktop. From around her neck, the shifter pulled a leather cord with a key. “I’m going to unlock the cuffs. If you attack me, I will not hesitate to seriously injure you.” Their eyes met- blue against grey- as a tense moment passed. Then, without another word, Annie gently cupped one of Mikasa’s hands in her own and undid one shackle. Taking Mikasa’s other hand, Annie let the cuffs fall free and watched carefully as Mikasa looked at the leather adorning her wrists. “Didn’t want you to chafe. It could’ve gotten infected if you managed to rub yourself raw.”    
  
Quietly, Mikasa said, “I appreciate the thought.” Slowly, she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Her legs felt foreign and almost detached. She hazarded a glance at Annie, seeing only the normal look of complete apathy. Mikasa stood with some difficulty, legs shaking slightly for a few seconds. “How long have I actually been here?”   
  
“Almost two weeks,” Annie replied, “and the fact that you refused to eat for so long was extremely...disconcerting.” She went to the end of the bed and opened a trunk, grabbing some pieces of clothing before setting them down. “Here. You can wear these for now. Your boots are under the bed.”    
  
Annie walked out, allowing Mikasa to change in peace. Not that it was necessary but Mikasa appreciated the time to think. As soon as the shirt- a size or two bigger than Mikasa- was tucked just enough to look presentable, Mikasa finally noticed that the pants were nearly a perfect fit. The Asian girl grabbed her scarf, wrapping it around her neck and feeling slightly uncomfortable at the weight of it. She frowned slightly but instead decided not to dwell on it and retrieved her boots, pulling them on. Mikasa went to the door and was surprised when the handle actually turned, allowing her to leave freely.    
  
“Oh. You’re done. Ok then, let’s go. I need to pick up some things from the blacksmith as well as the market.” Annie was, by that time, dressed in a hooded shirt with short sleeves and her hair was in a perfect bun. “I’ll make sure to get your clothes gathered up to be washed. You’ll be more comfortable in your own clothing, probably.”   
  
“These pants fit me perfectly in the waist,” Mikasa noted. “They’re a bit short though.”   
  
Annie eyed Mikasa wearily. “They were my mother’s.” Without another word, Annie went to the front door and asked, “Are you coming or not?” Mikasa took a few long, fast strides to the door and was unable to catch the somewhat satisfied smirk on her captor’s face.   
  
Mikasa stayed in step with Annie, not once acknowledging her status as a prisoner. Her head was high and alert, taking in the surroundings. The main market was an open area, surrounded by stores for various things like furniture, the smithy, and fabric. She watched as Annie interacted with everyone, a genuine smile settling gently on her lips. It was odd, Mikasa mused, that Annie could look so pretty when she smiled.    
  
Eventually, Annie had finished her rounds at the market, getting food and other small commodities, like cooking oil. She handed the basket to Mikasa and said, “I need to go to the smithy. Think you can handle yourself by sitting on that bench under the tree?” She pointed off to the only tree in the square. When Mikasa nodded, Annie gave a brief smile. “It won’t take long.”   
  
While Annie went into the smithy, Mikasa went to the bench and sat down, setting the basket between her feet. She watched as people bustled about the market and she smiled at how ordinary everything was. After a minute or two, Mikasa saw a small group of children staring at her. She smiled a little more and gave a small wave; at that, the children drew closer, all wide eyes and curious looks. A couple of them, slightly older than the rest, approached first. Mikasa said, “Hello.”   
  
“Are you the titan slayer that Annie captured?” asked one boy. He looked to be just short of ten-years-old and had dirty blonde hair.    
  
“I suppose I am,” Mikasa replied quietly.   
  
The other children gathered around as the first boy said, “My name is Wilhelm. We were curious about why you’re here.”   
  
Mikasa blinked. “I’m waiting for Annie. She’s talking to the blacksmith.”   
  
A little girl shook her head. “He meant to ask why you aren’t chained up somewhere.”   
  
“Well, it would be rather stupid to try and run when I don’t know my way back. I don’t have any gear to defend myself and no supplies.” She paused. “It would be suicide to try and make it back to the walls at this point.” As Mikasa looked at each of the children, she noticed that they all seemed like any others that she would’ve encountered back home. One little girl in particular seemed keenly interested in her stuffed dog doll. It was this little girl that Mikasa reached out to and said, “My name is Mikasa.”   
  
Blushing brightly, the little girl stammered, “I’m Katarina. Wilhelm is my big brother.” She took Mikasa’s hand and shook it, smiling shyly as she said, “You’re really pretty. We were wondering if it was hard to be a soldier.”   
  
“At times,” the Asian woman answered, “but it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be handled. Anyone who was unable to make it was sent home. They had no place.”    
  
Another boy asked, “What was Annie like?”    
  
Mikasa blinked, mildly surprised at the question. “She was a capable fighter. But she wanted to take it easy. I frequently saw her sneaking off to get out of training.”    
  
Wilhelm frowned slightly. “Her father wouldn’t like that. Annie was always diligent in her training with him.” He added, “If Mr. Leonhardt found out about that, Annie would be in big trouble.” The other children nodded in agreement, watching Mikasa less with wariness and more with interest.    
  
Katarina chimed in, “Mikasa, are you and Annie friends?”   
  
“I...don’t really know.” The question had brought Mikasa up short, leaving her slightly bewildered. In training, they were often paired together for drills; it was almost uncanny, really, how they were able to anticipate each other’s moves. In their barracks, they spoke often and even would sit and talk while each of them had kitchen duty. Mikasa considered the fact that she had been able to immediately ask Annie where Eren was. She acknowledged, silently, that Annie was a woman with obvious skill and intelligence. Mikasa, at one point, had greatly respected Annie. “We were.”   
  
The group of kids looked at one another, sharing some kind of look. Katarina once again spoke. This time, her voice was quieter. “Do you want to kill us?”   
  
“Kill you? Why?”    
  
“Because we’re titans,” Katarina replied.    
  
“No,” she retorted softly, “I don’t want to kill you. Ere- my brother can turn into a titan.” She watched as their faces went from worry to surprise in sheer seconds. “Before you ask, I’m not entirely sure why it happens. I just know that it does.”    
  
Wilhelm’s eyes were full of excitement as he asked, “Can you turn into a titan too?”   
  
Just before Mikasa could give an answer, a voice called from behind her, “Ok, that’s enough for now. Scram. Your folks are probably looking for you by now.” Annie stepped up behind Mikasa, arms crossed over her chest as she said, “Go on, move it. If you don’t raise hell for a while, I might let you get more stories some other time.”   
  
A chorus of, “aww, Annie, why?” went up before the children dissipated, leaving Mikasa sitting on the bench and smiling.   
  
Annie stepped around, looking at her with the same apathetic look as ever. “What’s that smile about?”   
  
“Nothing really,” Mikasa replied, “They were just sweet kids.” She continued to smile on their trek back to the house but the pair maintained a somewhat tense silence. As they entered, Mikasa handed the basket back to Annie and questioned, “Do I need to go back in that room?”   
  
“For now. I won’t cuff you until tonight.” Before Mikasa entered the room, Annie mentioned, “There are books.” When Mikasa looked at her curiously, Annie pointed to the cabinet in the corner. “In there.” She waited as the Asian woman went to the cabinet and opened it, looking through the titles in a manner that spoke volumes of the slightly younger female’s eagerness to read. “I’ll bring dinner when it’s ready.”   
  
Before Annie closed the door, Mikasa stood and quietly said, “Thank you.” The only acknowledgement she got was a pause in the door shutting gently.    
  
[X]   
  
The following day was not much different in respect to their manner of speaking. When Annie opened the door in the morning to bring Mikasa breakfast, she undid the cuffs around her wrists and informed her that if she wanted to go outside, she would need to accompany Annie to the river so she could get water for laundry. With this in mind, Mikasa finished off her breakfast quickly and pulled on the clothes from the previous day. She waited patiently outside of the room for Annie to walk by with two large buckets and followed, admiring the change in scenery as they walked just outside of town to a river that separated the village and the forest. As soon as they reached the bank, Annie tossed Mikasa a bucket and said, “Fill it. I’m going to boil the water when we get back and use most of it for laundry. The rest we can use to wash our hair. Sadly, we don’t have a working shower to speak of.”   
  
Mikasa nodded. “Ok, that’s fine.” She held the bucket in the water, keeping it above the silt and mud, only allowing the water to flow in. Once it was full, she stood up and saw Annie waiting. As they walked back, the dark-haired girl mumbled, “It’s really pretty here.”   
  
Annie spared a glance at Mikasa and nodded. “Yeah. I missed it while I was gone.” When they got close to the house again, Annie said, “Wait for me behind the house. There’s a fire pit there and I’ll go grab the pot so I can boil the water.” She set her bucket down beside Mikasa as she went in the backdoor, allowing the taller girl to stand there without any supervision.    
  
It would be so easy to run back to the river and disappear into the forest. Annie wasn’t watching her and it would be nothing to make a crude knife out of a sharp rock. However, she set the bucket down and instead gathered some wood from the pile by the door, arranging it in the fire pit before sitting down.    
  
When Annie emerged with the large pot, her eyes widened marginally. “So you didn’t run. Well, I suppose I was a little wrong about you, Mikasa. I had almost thought you’d run off to try and find your way back to the walls.” She smirked and set up the pot above the pit and set fire to the logs. “Guess you’re not as stupidly reckless as your brother.” That done, she grabbed the buckets of water and dumped them in the pot, waiting for it to boil. She sat down on a large rock, eyeing Mikasa warily. “You did at least think about it though. Didn’t you?”   
  
“I did,” Mikasa admitted. It was pointless to lie. She was in Annie’s village. There would be nowhere to hide that she couldn’t be found. “Wilhelm said that your father would be upset if he knew you snuck off during training.” She watched the way that Annie’s body tensed at the very mention of her father and she tilted her head slightly to see that her captor’s blue eyes were narrowed slightly. “What would your punishment have been if you tried that with your father?”   
  
“Depends on what I skipped out on. If I skipped out on hand-to-hand, I missed dinner. If I tried to skip on strategy, I had to get up an hour earlier the next morning for extra laps.” She stared at the ground. “There was one time-” Annie halted herself, realizing that she was about to reveal more about herself than she ought to. She fell silent and felt herself relax slightly when Mikasa did not press the issue. In fact, the Asian girl sat there quietly and just seemed to bask in the mid-morning sun.    
  
When the water was almost boiling, Annie took it off the fire and distributed it between the buckets again, and grabbed some soap before beginning to wash the clothes. Mikasa watched silently. She had almost heard something rather private about her former comrade and, in retrospect, she doubted that she was prepared for such a burden. After finding out that Annie was the Female Titan and losing what respect she had held for the short blonde, Mikasa found herself struggling with the newfound humanity that she was witnessing in Annie. They remained in silence for a bit longer until Annie was finished and Mikasa stood again. Without a word, she began to grab pieces of clothing and hang them up on the line with clothespins. She smiled to herself when she got no word of protest and was instead met with the sight of Annie doing the same with the rest of the clothes. They did not return outside until late afternoon, finding that the high sun had dried the clothes completely and allowed them to remove them from the line and take them inside.   
  
[X]   
  
It was not until a week or so later that Annie began to only lock the door at night and took the cuffs completely from the room that Mikasa slept in. Mikasa took little notice of this and instead began to greet Annie with a bit more warmth. It happened one morning that a storm had rolled in and Annie was much later to unlock the door. The Asian girl looked up from the book she was reading and noticed the slight weariness that had clouded over the other female. “Long night?”   
  
“Couldn’t sleep,” Annie replied curtly. She glanced at Mikasa with the book and mumbled, “You read a lot.”   
  
“Not much else to do,” Mikasa said. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, the Asian woman stood up and made her way to follow Annie. “Would you prefer it if I made breakfast? You don’t look like you feel up to it.”   
  
Annie blinked slowly when she looked back at Mikasa. “That’s...oddly considerate of you.”    
  
Mikasa began to step ahead, making her way to the kitchen as she asked, “Where will I find you when I’m finished making it?”   
  
“My room. It’s at the opposite end of the hall. I’ll leave my door open for you.” She turned on her heel and left Mikasa to cook breakfast.    
  
Seeing as they had all done cooking duty multiple times during training and also the remnants of her time with both Carla and her own mother, Mikasa managed to fix a decent breakfast. She decided to get Annie’s first before consuming her own and took the plate down the hall, peeking her head into Annie’s room.    
  
It was slightly larger than the room that Mikasa occupied and was, in many ways, what Mikasa expected to see. She had never assumed that Annie would be a tidy person, simply because the blonde girl favored taking it easy. There were various articles of clothing tossed over a chair but her boots were placed neatly next to the rug that Annie probably stepped onto in the morning. However, her eyes were caught by the shelves of books that lined one wall of the room. Some books varied from tactical analysis to a classic fictional tale that had grown to some fame within the walls. There were even some that Mikasa had never even heard of. She hazarded a glance at the blonde, seeing that she was still deeply asleep. As she set the plate on the side table, the Asian woman paused. Annie had rolled onto her side, bringing the blankets up to her nose and breathing deeply before settling again. Mikasa felt her cheeks warm slightly, feeling as though she had seen a side to Annie that was never seen by their squadmates.    
  
“Annie?” This brooked no response, prompting Mikasa to hesitantly reach out and touch the blonde’s shoulder. “Annie. Breakfast is ready.” She brought her hand away slowly when, to her great surprise, Annie woke without violence.   
  
Her eyes fluttered open slightly, the soft blue coming into focus as her pupils adjusted to the light. A slight moment of irritation seemed to pass before her gaze fell on Mikasa. “You didn’t leave.”   
  
“Why should I?”   
  
Annie’s nose flared slightly as she finally noticed the food; it was ignored a moment longer as she said, “You had a perfect opportunity.” Mikasa handed her the plate silently before going to the door. She was caught off guard when Annie quietly called after her, “Get your food and come back. It must be kind of lonely, eating in your room.”    
  
Mikasa nodded back at the blonde before returning to the kitchen and getting a plate of food for herself. She wondered when they had gone from captor and captive to, perhaps, tentative companions. Maybe even friends. Mikasa shook her head, knowing that nothing would come of the thoughts and instead made her way back to Annie’s room, finding the blonde eating slowly. “Should I get a chair?”   
  
“Just sit on the bed,” Annie mumbled. She continued to eat, eyes half-closed. She still appeared as though she had barely gotten any sleep. There were dark circles around her eyes and Mikasa wondered if Annie had actually slept at all the past few days. Annie glanced up, catching Mikasa’s worried gaze. “It’s just nightmares.”   
  
“Must be pretty serious for you to look this awful,” she replied.   
  
Annie smirked tiredly. “And here I thought you were staring at my pretty face for the aesthetic appeal. I’m heartbroken, Ackerman.”   
  
“Yet not serious enough that you lost your sarcasm. That’s good.” Mikasa sat down gently on the bed, careful not to sit on the blonde woman’s feet or legs. She began eating, taking a moment to pause and ask, “Are you going to be all right?”   
  
“Eventually,” Annie responded quietly. She finished her food and set the plate down, staring at her hands for a time. “I was thinking about my mother.”   
  
Mikasa looked slightly startled at the revelation but said nothing in respect to that. Instead, she chose to question gently, “Do you want to talk about this? I won’t force the issue, you know.” There was an extended, slightly uncomfortable silence as Mikasa waited for Annie to reply. Just as she was about to speak, Annie decided to break the silence with a shattering whisper.   
  
“I ate her.”   
  
Her eyes widened slightly and Mikasa had to set her plate aside. “ _ What _ ?”   
  
“I had to eat her. When I first became a titan, I wasn’t a shifter.” Her eyes fell to the side as she added, “But my mother was. Her abilities became mine but I remember the last words she said to me before I became a titan for the first time and killed her.” Tears prickled at the corners of Annie’s eyes and she felt her throat grow tight. “She told me she loved me. And no matter what anyone said, I’m not a monster.”    
  
Mikasa’s chest ached; for some reason, the knowledge that Annie lost her mother over the sheer fact that the woman could shift was devastating. “Did your father make that decision or did she make that decision?”   
  
Annie brought her hands up to her face and took a deep breath, finally managing to stop shaking with bottled up sobs. “My mother made the decision. She probably figured that since I was younger, I would have a better shot at honing the abilities that would get passed onto me.” She dropped her hands back into her lap, sniffling slightly. “I can’t believe I just cried in front of you.”   
  
“Crying is not weakness,” Mikasa stated. “Telling someone about how you hurt is not weakness. But caving into the hurt and not growing from it is.” She grabbed Annie’s plate and stacked it on top of her own, getting to her feet. “I’ll go do the dishes. You should probably sleep more.” Before she walked out the door, Mikasa smiled faintly and said, “After all, you look like a fate worse than death.” As she walked down the hall, Mikasa felt her smile grow upon hearing Annie’s laughter.   
  
[X]   
  
A few days after the time in Annie’s room, Mikasa began to notice that Annie no longer bothered to lock the door. Honestly, the only doors that remained locked were the front and back doors as well as a door that Annie simply stated was to her parents’ room. The Asian girl did not ask and rather spent her time assisting Annie in whatever small chores needed to be done. Most often, Annie pushed the jobs like washing the windows and cleaning the floors off on Mikasa. The blonde girl would usually do things like the cooking and washing laundry. As Annie was cooking dinner one evening, Mikasa found herself seated at the kitchen table, stitching one of Annie’s hooded shirts. “You know, it still makes me wonder how you manage to get holes right here.” She poked a finger through the hole in question, wiggling at the junction between arm and torso.   
  
“I would attribute it to the gear. It gets strapped down and wears the fabric thin,” Annie retorted. She shrugged. “I don’t really pay much attention to my clothes, honestly.” As she set the bowls of stew on the table, she glanced at the work Mikasa had completed at that point and hummed. “Not bad. Of course, learning how to sew was never something I had an interest in.” She smirked at the slight narrowing of Mikasa’s eyes and sat down in the chair beside the Asian girl. “Take a break and eat. It’s not like that’s my only shirt.”   
  
“I’d be a bit concerned if it were,” the other girl said. She set the shirt aside on another chair, bringing her bowl of stew closer and eating heartily. “How’d you learn how to cook?”   
  
“Most of it was from my mother, before she died. After that, it was my father who taught me. You can’t call kitchen duty cooking, Mikasa. That was torture.” She took another bite of stew and sat quietly for a minute. “Beyond that, I actually enjoy cooking.”   
  
The taller woman remained quiet for a time. She finished off her stew, actually, before bothering to even speak. “You’re good at it. I mean, I haven’t died of food poisoning yet and it’s edible, so.” She felt the corner of her lips twitch as she looked at Annie. “You should know what sarcasm is, Annie. You use it often enough.” She rolled her eyes, heaving a sigh as the smile finally came across her lips. “It really is great.”   
  
As she finished her own meal, the blonde peeked at the stack of shirts on the other chair, examining the strong stitching on them. “Well, damn. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tear my shirts again. Holy shit, Mikasa.” She set the shirt back on the pile and smiled. “I appreciate it.”    


There was a pause before Mikasa replied, “Not a problem.”

They went quiet again and for a time, Annie wondered whether or not she should even speak. She glanced at her captive, examining Mikasa closer than before. Her hair was starting to get a little long but it fell smoothly to the other woman's shoulders. If Mikasa were to mention it, Annie would cut it. However, she found the length rather fitting for the taller woman. When Mikasa looked up and their gazes met, Annie asked, “Do you wanna spar tomorrow?”

Mikasa blinked, looking utterly bemused as she replied, “Really?”

“No,” Annie retorted, “I really wanted to ask if we could go buy some potpourri. Of course,  _ really _ .” She smirked when Mikasa started to laugh. “Well? Think you'll feel up to it?”

“Sure,” she agreed, “I've missed being able to workout.” There was another small lull before Mikasa stated, “I understand why you wanted to come home.” She could see Annie's eyes widen marginally before narrowing. “It's not strange to miss home. Because, here, you don't have to hide, do you.” The look of realization only manifested in Annie's eyes; the rest of her features remained unchanged. Mikasa leveled Annie with a knowing but otherwise amicable look. “I'm not stupid, Annie. I figured that there was something that you weren't willing to share. Not that I expected you to. You were fairly aloof.”

“Shut up, Ackerman,” she muttered. “You don't know anything.” The air was beginning to grow tense again as she took in the fact that Mikasa indeed did understand better than she expected. It was frustrating to know that the girl she considered her rival- maybe even her equal in terms of combat prowess- was able to understand her desire to return home. Annie began to get to her feet when her hand was clasped by a slightly larger one. 

The Asian girl was looking at her intently as she said, “I hope you're ready for tomorrow. Because I'm looking forward to it.”

Annie eyed her carefully for a moment before smirking. “I'm definitely ready.”

[X]

The following morning saw Mikasa and Annie each getting ready for the impending match. A light breakfast led into preparing canteens of water and food for afterwards. While Mikasa readied the pack, heaving it over her shoulder, the blonde shifter glanced at her and said, “It'll take a bit of hiking to get where we need to go.”

“That's all right,” she responded. Mikasa smirked at her. “It'll give you time to mentally prepare yourself for the loss you're going to endure.”

Annie snorted, “I think you're confused, Ackerman; which is a little weird, considering I haven't kicked your ass just yet.” As soon as Mikasa had come up beside her, the shorter girl opened the door and nodded her head. “Let's go then.” While they walked, they remained quiet, taking in the ambience of the forest path. Out of the corner of her eye, Annie noticed that Mikasa's strides were just as long, confident and graceful as ever. She forced her concentration back to the path they were taking, silently berating herself for the way her eyes wandered over the human girl. They still had a ways to go and it was no time to allow her traitorous thoughts to peruse Mikasa's body as her eyes threatened to do.

After a good hour of walking, Annie could tell they were getting close. “It's just a bit further. Still feeling all right?”

“Never better,” Mikasa answered. There was little exertion in their pace, though it would probably be considered fast to most. She knew that at the end of the day, her muscles would ache and she very well might carry some bruises; but it would be worth it. It was also well worth the effort to see Annie with some sort of excitement in her features. Though the blonde girl was very good at hiding how she felt most of the time, the promise of a good challenge seemed to light a fire in her eyes. The icy blue was no longer cold but instead filled with an intense passion. A passion that Mikasa found increasingly attractive.

When they finally reached their destination, Mikasa was in awe at the beauty. The mid-morning sun struggled to make its way through the canopy of leaves and filtered between as pale shafts of light. Setting the pack with the food and water aside, the taller girl glanced at her partner and witnessed a wistful, slightly pained smile on Annie's face. She didn't say anything and instead averted her eyes out of courtesy.

“I haven't been here since I was little,” Annie murmured softly.

“Is it very different from what you remember?” she asked curiously.

There was a pause and then the other woman answered, “Oddly, no.” It wasn't long before Annie turned and looked at Mikasa, smirking confidently. “Ready, Ackerman?”

Mikasa nodded and got to her feet. “Ready.” It had been a while since their last match and even then, they had been interrupted. So Mikasa got into her stance, left foot slightly in front and arms raised, body hunched to provide easy protection. In contrast, Annie's arms were slightly higher than one would normally choose. But Mikasa knew better; she knew that despite how open her stance seemed to be, Annie could quickly deal damage as well as guard herself. It was with caution that they approached each other and the tension was nearly palpable.

She couldn't quite say who moved first but their arms met as they swung. Mikasa's arm was deflected by Annie's before the blonde swiftly dealt a blow to her lower abdomen. A grunt left her clenched teeth but she otherwise didn't react, instead managing to knock Annie's balance and jab her in the ribs.

They went blow for blow for several minutes before a look was shared and they backed off, taking a moment to recoup and catch their breath. Mikasa tugged the hem of her shirt free from where it was tucked and brought it up to wipe the faint sweat from her brow. It was while her face was obscured by fabric that she missed the way Annie stared at her rippling abdomen.

Mikasa was an impressive opponent; both in physical form and tactical mindset. The blonde sipped at her canteen, setting it to the side when her companion returned to the center of the clearing. While Annie got up and approached, Mikasa said, “Still ok to continue?”

“Why wouldn't I be?” Annie quipped. They again got into their respective stances and spent a brief moment sizing each other up once again. This time, there was a moment of distinct movement where Annie dropped low and lunged towards Mikasa. The taller woman tried to dodge, moving to the side, but with her outstretched arms, Annie managed to slam into her opponent's stomach, swinging her down to the ground.

It was a grapple as Mikasa fought to loosen Annie’s hold. With her arms still free, she curled and grasped the belt at the blonde girl's hips, using her strength to wrench Annie’s body to the side. Then, she flung herself at the smaller female. They each tried to catch wrists or land a punch. Fists hit ribs and sides, bruising arms and shoulders. Their legs tangled, trying to pin one another down. Finally, Mikasa felt the world spin as her body was lifted from Annie’s with the quick buck of the shifter’s hips, quickly followed by Annie switching their positions and slamming Mikasa’s back to the ground.

They stilled, panting and staring at one another. Mikasa could feel her own heart pounding but she could see the pulse throbbing in Annie’s neck, her eyes catching the faint movement as they lay there on the ground. Sweat beaded on their foreheads and Mikasa stated, “Looks like you won.”

Annie didn't say anything for a moment as their eyes locked. The air was thick between them with tension and heat from the fight. Suddenly, Annie became hyperaware; the faint breeze made the leaves rustle in the trees around them, the sunlight that illuminated the clearing bathed Mikasa's face in a golden glow. “Looks like it,” Annie finally murmured. Her eyes darted to her opponent's lips, wondering for what wasn't the first time how soft they were. She thought for a moment and muttered, “Mikasa.”

“Yes?”

She started to lower herself, their faces only inches apart. “I want to kiss you.”

There was another pause before Mikasa replied, “What's stopping you?”

No response came again, save for Annie shutting her eyes and pressing their lips together. It was not the way that Mikasa imagined; with how cold Annie seemed, the taller woman was expecting it to be rough and fueled by disdain. But instead, Annie's lips were soft and warm and it made her heart flutter. The hands gripping Mikasa's shirt loosened and slowly trailed up to stroke the taller woman's jaw. They stayed that way, kissing softly, in such great contrast to the ferocity of their sparring match.

After a moment longer, the kiss broke reluctantly and they opened their eyes to look at one another. Nothing seemed like the right thing to say as the glow of affection lingered between them. Annie leaned in again to peck her on the lips, her cheeks burning slightly with the embarrassment she felt. As soon as she had pulled away, the blonde sat up and turned her head, avoiding Mikasa's eyes. “We can have another match or we can head back.”

Nodding slowly, Mikasa decided, “Another match would be good. I could use the exercise.” It was while Annie moved off of her and went to drink some water that a plan started to form in Mikasa's mind. She got up and stretched, thinking her moves through and analyzing what had transpired in the last match. So, when Annie came back up to her, Mikasa was ready. They circled cautiously, trying to get a feel for this match and how the pace would start. Then, Mikasa lashed out with a powerful kick, managing to make Annie stagger despite how she had blocked with both arms. While Annie recovered her balance, Mikasa capitalized by swinging her arm around Annie's neck and dragging her down to the ground; grappling for the other woman's wrists as they hit the dirt. She straddled Annie’s hips and pinned her wrists above her head. It was hard to make out the look in those blue eyes but Mikasa chose not to dwell and instead let her hair fall in a veil around their faces as she kissed Annie, seaming their lips together. There was still a tenderness to it but Mikasa felt herself add a little more force behind it. She wasn't so much embarrassed that Annie had been her first kiss but rather that Annie had kissed her first. As she pulled away, she stated, “And I won that time.”

A brief moment passed while Annie stared at her, looking slightly bewildered, before a striking clarity returned and she  _ smirked _ . “You were mad that I got you first.”

The blood rushed back into Mikasa's cheeks as she retorted, “Was not.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Ackerman,” Annie drawled smugly. Another silence fell between them as Mikasa shifted to sit beside the blonde. Propping herself up on her elbows, the titan shifter asked, “Wanna have lunch and then head back?” She smiled a bit more gently when she received a nod in answer and got up to grab their pack. As they sat and ate, Annie mused, “Y’know, I never actually  _ hated _ you.”

One fine brow raised while Mikasa swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “Really? Coulda fooled me.”

“Ackerman, be serious. If I hated you, I wouldn't have even bothered to talk to you whatsoever.” She took a sip of water before adding, “Besides, it was nice having someone to compare my skills to.”

“I feel likewise.” Mikasa went quiet for a moment as she took a few more bites in contemplation of what she wanted to say. “As much as I love Eren, he never listened to me. It...made me a little sick when he actually would listen to you. I wanted to understand what made you so different to him.” Though she didn't want to admit it, the thought even then made her a bit upset.

Annie watched the human carefully, listening intently to the tone of her voice- and the melancholy she heard in it. “I was someone other than you, his sister.” The statement caused Mikasa's attention to snap back to the blonde as she continued, “You even said you practically raised yourself, Eren and Armin. You're like a mother to him. And every kid wants to grow up and be independent of their parents.” Pausing only long enough to meet Mikasa's eyes, Annie said, “He wants to be able to fight and defend what he cares about. Just like you do. But he must've felt like you would go easy on him or something.” She snorted, “Not like you'd have to be worried about me being interested in your idiot brother. I don't like guys.”

“Good to know,” Mikasa deadpanned. Quietly, she added, “Neither do I.”

Silence took hold again before Annie blurted, “So what do you want?”

“What do you mean?”

Locking gazes again, the shifter clarified, “What do you want to do about  _ this _ ?”

The taller female blinked and replied, “You mean about  _ us _ ?”

There was a softness in Annie's voice that surprised even herself as she asked, “Do you want there to be an  _ us _ ?”

“I...I'd like to find out if there could be,” Mikasa admitted. “Because I don't hate you. I don't know if I ever really did. Certainly, I didn't like you at some point- you're kind of an asshole.”

Annie shrugged, offering a half-grin. “I try.”

“Ok,  _ smartass _ ,” the top trainee snapped, “but you're not  _ that _ unlikeable.”

They stared at one another a little longer, taking it all in. “So…” Annie murmured, “You… want to see where this could go?”

Mikasa smiled softly, her cheeks lightly tinged pink. “Sure.” Their hands brushed as they each went to grab the pack and each of them snatched their hands away, stuttering not-quite apologies. Finally, they settled on Mikasa once again carrying the pack as they got to their feet and started to the trek back to Annie's home.


End file.
